Protecting your
garden investment

Deterring
Black-tailed Deer

The
Columbian black-tailed deer –
Odocoileus hemionus columbianus
--
is mostly found in dense forests and coastal
woodlands in their native range along the Pacific
Coast of North America from Alaska to Southern
California,
on many coastal islands, and west of the summit of
the coastal and Cascade mountain ranges. At the
eastern boundaries of its range, the blacktail
might interbreed with the mule deer, its larger
cousin, and hybridize.

The
blacktail is the smallest native deer in North
America, with a subspecies – the Sitka blacktail –
even smaller yet. The weight of a mature buck is
rarely more than 190 pounds, but an individual
blacktail of that weight is a true heavyweight.
Does can weigh upward of 120 pounds.
The blacktail
is characterized from the mule deer, as being the
smaller and darker, and its tail carries a broad
and long black stripe. Also, the
rump area of the blacktail has a darker, smaller
patch of white than does the mule deer.

Blacktails are relatively shier than other deer
species. It quickly -- and usually without
hesitation -- flees and hides when confronted from
even long distances. Rather than try to prove
individual dominance among a herd, single bucks
live alongside each other and remain with does
yearlong. However, buck rivalry does take place
during the "rut" -- the breeding season that takes
place from late October into early December.

Black-tailed deer typically rest and bed in
dense low-lying shrubs, usually not far from
transition areas between fields and forests. Some
wildlife biologists have surveyed blacktails in
their greatest numbers in areas recently burned or
logged where grasses, herbs and berry vines are
sprouting. They most readily feed from near dusk
to just after dawn in edge areas. They also feed
along roadways, in cow pastures, in orchards and,
when not disturbed, in home
gardens, flowerbeds and landscaped yards where
ornamental shrubs and trees are plentiful.
They prefer a variety of vegetable matter, fresh
green leaves, twigs, lower branches of trees and
various grasses. They are particularly fond of
blackberry and raspberry vines, grapes, mistletoe,
mushrooms and ferns. Some accounts have been
published of then even eating the fruit of cactus.

Because of their defense strategy of hiding rather
than fleeing or fighting, black-tailed deer
historically are not as much a problem for
gardeners and landscapers as are whitetails and
mule deer. However, blacktails will invade gardens
and browse landscapers' ornamental shrubs and
trees, especially at night. And in places where
people feed blacktails, they readily lose their
fear of people -- even taking food directly out of
hand -- and will not hesitate to enter nearby
yards and gardens during daylight hours.

When
it comes to accessing urban food-scapes,
blacktails are an amazingly efficient -- and
clever -- animal. Azaleas, rhododendrons, roses
and hostas are among their favorites, but it often
seems there’s no end to what they will eat. The
damage done to yard plants by a lone deer can be
substantial. Several deer can lay a 2-acre
landscape to waste. Their remarkable jumping
ability allows them to clear fences as much as 9
feet high. They learn the domain and attitude of
yard dogs, and some have even displayed an
understanding of how far a tethered dog can range.
And they communicate their learning to their
brethren, especially fawns and yearlings.

As
a result, deer deterrents range wide across the
horizon of the imagination. Deer are mostly color
blind so any bright colors will also not act as a
deterrent. Thus, numerous offensive products –
both professionally and personally cooked up to
protect ornamental shrubs, trees, flowerbeds and
vegetable gardens – are made to attack their
tastebuds and their noses. Many temporarily turn
deer away, but their cleverness eventually results
in failed remedies.

Instead,
deer must be instilled with the fear of physical
harm, which almost always naturally occurs with
predators. Indeed, it is only the fear of death
that effectively breaks their behavior, whether
it’s in a yard or in the woods. To turn deer away
from the foods they want, they must sense an
assault upon their security. This is best done by
taking advantage of their remarkable sense of
smell for locating food and survival. Their nose
will lead them to return over and over again to
areas where food is tasty, abundant and safe to
forage. Their nose will also alert deer to nearby
danger. Disrupt their sense of security and you’ve
achieved the primary factor for turning deer away
from your valuable plants, gardens, shrubs and
trees. Deer have good memories and learn from each
other. When one deer is afraid to return to an
area, other deer – including fawns – also will be
reluctant to enter the area.

Deer
Scram is your best deer repellent
because it attacks a deer’s sense of safety.
Blended from selected organic components, Deer
Scram will keep deer off your plantings because,
through their uncanny sense of smell, Deer Scram
convinces deer that harm is nearby. Deer Scram
will change deer behavior. As they near the
applied barrier of Deer Scram, deer actually alert
to a sense of danger – even death! Its unique
blend of organic ingredients targets a deer’s
remarkable sense of smell. As the scent of death
reaches the deer, a genetic biological defense
mechanism to flee from predators is triggered.
Watch deer flee from the area or avoid it
completely! The association of the fear of death
with Deer Scram will lead to a profound learning
experience for the deer and, with proper
re-application of Deer Scram, the deer will not
return to the area.

Deer Scram is an all-natural, biodegradable deer
repellent that guarantees pesky white-tailed,
black-tailed and mule deer will stop feeding on
your prized gardens, shrubs and trees for 45
to 60 days per application. Deer Scram
is a fully organic granular deer-control product
that contains no harmful chemicals or toxins that
could hurt the animals, environment and, most
importantly, you or your family.